About four years ago I started to think about who my mother was, I only knew her as ‘mum’. But who did she think she was besides being a mother to eight children and living in Wel- lington? I found her roots and fam-

ily were a long way from Wel- lington. I knew her mother, Grandma Hewland, lived in Birmingham and we went to stay with her once a year, taking it in turns as there were too many of us to be spoiled like an only child – but never any mention of a grandfather of relations. Mum seemed to be on her own, all our aunts, cous- ins were Osborne’s and in- laws.

All my early life cen- tred around Wellington, my schools, my home, my friends, my doctor, Doctor Pooler, who patched me up when I fell off my bike, the Brownie pack who met in the Parish Hall with Brown Owl, Miss Shoebottom, then the Second Wellington Guides

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Janet Eatough writes again this month. Janet is a retired school teacher and her letters are always a joy to read, this month she looks at her (and our) origins.

(and the scouts).

Going shopping at the Maypole, the Co-op, Macfisheries, Waterworths, the market, sports goods from Roberts the saddler in Market Street, sweets (on ration) from Sadler and Hughes, apples from the Miss’s Pritchard shop at the entrance to the market, my hair done at the shop in High Street (Barlow’s), buying my first school raincoat (Swal- lows) from McClure’s and some more hair ribbons – I was always losing mine. Going to get some meat from Mr Dolphin who had a shed off Haygate Road, getting the bread (also on ration) from Abel’s shop in Orleton Road freshly baked by Brittain’s Bakery in Hay- gate Road.

So many places, many of them now long gone, but alive in my memory and vis- ited in my dreams. Brought alive again as I talk with

friends of my youth, all Wel- lington ‘children’ grown up and chatting about the old days.

But what did my mother remember? From what I have found out, her dreams were probably nightmares. She was born in London, an orphan. At seven years old when she and her younger brother went to different or- phanages.

She came back to live with her mother eight years later in Birmingham. The 1914-18 war was on and Grandma Hewland made a living and home running a boarding house. Mum found work in Shrewsbury, met my father who lived in Welling- ton, married, and the rest is my history.

Mum never talked about her life. I now know it all sec- ond-hand. I can read about her life but never comfort her or share my understanding of ‘who she was’ before I

knew her. I am a Wellington person – who was she? I had a happy growing up, did she? What memories do my children hold?

I hope they have good memories. They did not live or grow up in Wellington but their Grandma Eatough did and their father, so they loved coming to see family and loving the Ercall Woods and climbing the Wrekin.

They knew their Osborne family too, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, so Wellington will have a ‘pull’ on their memory bank. ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ is now a television pro- gramme, but when I was a child at Wrekin Road School it was a playground taunt. ‘Who do you think you are?’ To which I replied: “I am an Osborne and my dad is big-

ger than yours!” It seems I was mistaken,

my dad was small, just five foot six inches, 15 neck, 38 inch chest, 29.5 inch inside leg – but to me he was a giant, a hero, a protector, a ‘David’ who would take on any ‘Goliaths’.

Good job he didn’t have to! But the cavalry were not too far away – I had five brothers!

Keep sending your emails to the Wellington

WELLINGTON FOOTBALLERS ARE NAMED

Colin Wakeley’s wife has sent us the names of the photograph of the Wellington Old Boys’ photograph which we carried in our last issue. The names are back row, left to right: Brian Griffiths, Ciss Herring, Keith Faucett, John Powell, Des Faucett (trainer).

The photograph was tak- en in 1955, our editor, Dave Gregory joined the club

seven years later and Colin was still playing for the club but by then he had dropped back to full back. Colin has said we got our facts slightly wrong. Les Hicks did in fact score 79 goals, which must be a club record, but Colin admits that he and another player amassed 70 goals between them, not as we printed in crediting Colin with 70 goals. Well done to Colin for being honest about it – he went on to have a very dis- tinguished cricket career behind the stumps with Wel- lington and Shropshire.